I know it's not a British battlefield site but Verdun is awe inspiring. Unlike the Somme and much of the northern French battlefields, it's not been largely reclaimed by agriculture and you can enter Forts Douamont and Vaux. The surrounding landscape remains shell pitted and there are many superb vantage points of the battlefield. The Ossuary at Douamont where the unidentified remains are on public view is humbling.

Read A.Horne's "Verdun - The Price of Glory" for the definitive history of the battle.

I know it's not a British battlefield site but Verdun is awe inspiring. Unlike the Somme and much of the northern French battlefields, it's not been largely reclaimed by agriculture and you can enter Forts Douamont and Vaux. The surrounding landscape remains shell pitted and there are many superb vantage points of the battlefield. The Ossuary at Douamont where the unidentified remains are on public view is humbling.

Read A.Horne's "Verdun - The Price of Glory" for the definitive history of the battle.

Click to expand...

It is a particularly well referenced battlefield and the US battles of 1918 are also easy to track over the terrain. I drove over the Verdun area about a month ago.

I know it's not a British battlefield site but Verdun is awe inspiring. Unlike the Somme and much of the northern French battlefields, it's not been largely reclaimed by agriculture and you can enter Forts Douamont and Vaux. The surrounding landscape remains shell pitted and there are many superb vantage points of the battlefield. The Ossuary at Douamont where the unidentified remains are on public view is humbling.

Read A.Horne's "Verdun - The Price of Glory" for the definitive history of the battle.

Click to expand...

An Arrse group went to Verdun in October last year. Amazing place to visit. Flyingmonkey was our guide on that one.

While on the coach, the tour guide put a DVD on, it was the great war, a series which was on BBC in the early 80's. A bit like world at war about WW1. I found it on the internet and downloaded it. 26 episodes. Well worth watching.

If you do decide to go on the Verdun trip with Leger, ask them where you will be staying. I was fortunate enough to stay in Reims. The hotel was 800m from the Cathedral. Drinks in the hotel were 6.80 Euro a beer. Found a bar called the Glue pot in town, about 4.50 a beer.

Leger use an overflow hotel about 10 miles out of town on an industrial estate. The coach drivers will on the odd night transport you into Reims and back for 5 euros each, but you have to leave at 22.00.

There is also a late finish one night when they spend a few hours in Verdun about 90 minutes away. Arrive back at the hotel around 21.45.

Remember to take a brew kit and also a slab of beer would be a good idea